Mrs. Shimp's records include both her personal papers as a tobacco-control activist and the records of her and her husband Benjamin's consulting group Environmental Improvement Associates (EIA). Mrs. Shimp was the first employee to achieve a smoke-free workplace through litigation when she won a lawsuit against her employer New Jersy Bell in 1976, and subsequently embarked upon a career in anti-smoking activism, while continuing to work for New Jersey Bell.

Donna Shimp was first employed as a Service Representative by New Jersey Bell in 1961. In 1975, having developed acute allergic reactions to second-hand tobacco smoke prevalent in her office, she pursued legal action against New Jersey Bell. Mrs. Shimp won her case against New Jersey Bell using the argument that she had a common law right to a safe workplace. Mrs. Shimp, along with her husband E. Benjamin Shimp, subsequently established the non-profit organization Environmental Improvement Associates. Under the aegis of EIA, they published several books and manuals to aid others in eradicating smoking from workplaces. Their publications include How to Protect Your Health at Work (1976), Smoke-Free Work Areas (1977) and Improving the Work Environment (1994) and others. Mrs. Shimp became actively involved in anti-smoking advocacy, advising many people in their pursuits of smoke-free workplaces, attending conferences and giving speeches regularly over the ensuing 25 years.

16 Linear Feet (11 cartons, 2 boxes and 1 oversize box)

Copyright has not been assigned to the Library & Center for Knowledge Management. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Archives & Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Library & Center for Knowledge Management as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

The collections is open for research. The UCSF Archives and Special Collections policy places access restrictions on material with privacy issues for a specific time period from the date of creation. Access to records that contain personal and confidential information about an individual or individuals is restricted for 75 years from date of creation or until the death of the individual mentioned in the records, whichever is longer. Access to medical records is restricted for 100 years from the latest date of the materials in those files. Restrictions are noted at the file level. This collection will be reviewed for sensitive content upon request. Contact the UCSF Archivist for information on access to these files.